title: Awareness, treatment and control of hypertension among Filipino immigrants.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Filipino Americans have high rates of hypertension, yet little research has examined hypertension awareness, treatment, and control in this group.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  In a community-based sample of hypertensive Filipino American immigrants, we identify 1) rates of hypertension awareness, treatment, and control; and 2) factors associated with awareness, treatment, and control.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional analysis of survey data from health screenings collected from 2006 to 2010.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 566 hypertensive Filipino immigrants in New York City, New York and Jersey City, New Jersey.
  
  
  METHODS
  Hypertension awareness, treatment, and control. Participants were included in analysis if they were hypertensive, based on: a past physician diagnosis, antihypertensive medication use, and/or high blood pressure (BP) screening measurements. Demographic variables included sex, age, time in the United States, location of residence, and English spoken language fluency. Health-related variables included self-reported health, insurance status, diabetes diagnosis, high cholesterol diagnosis, clinical measures (body mass index [BMI], glucose, and cholesterol), exercise frequency, smoking status, cardiac event history, family history of cardiac event, and family history of hypertension.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the hypertensive individuals, awareness, treatment, and control rates were suboptimal; 72.1 % were aware of their status, 56.5 % were on medication, and only 21.7 % had controlled BP. Factors related to awareness included older age, worse self-reported health, family history of hypertension, and a diagnosis of high cholesterol or diabetes; factors related to treatment included older age, longer time lived in the United States, and being a non-smoker; having health insurance was found to be the main predictor of hypertension control. Many individuals had other cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors; 60.4 % had a BMI ≥25, 12.0 % had at-risk glucose measurements and 12.8 % had cholesterol ≥ 240.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Hypertensive Filipinos exhibit poor hypertension management, warranting increased efforts to improve awareness, treatment and control. Culturally tailored public health strategies must be prioritized to reduce CVD risk factors among at-risk minority populations.
authors.affiliation: Center for the Study of Asian American Health, New York University School of Medicine, 550 First Avenue, VZN 842, New York, NY, 10016, USA, Rhodora.ursua@nyumc.org.
authors.forename: Rhodora
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ursua
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Aguilar
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wyatt
authors.forename: Shiv Darius
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Tandon
authors.forename: Kirklyn
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Escondo
authors.forename: Mariano
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rey
authors.forename: Chau
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Trinh-Shevrin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D044466:Asian People / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D001364:Awareness; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice / Q000208:ethnology*; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009515:New Jersey / Q000208:ethnology; D009519:New York City / Q000208:ethnology; D010679:Philippines / Q000208:ethnology; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult